Studieblad met geometrische vormen 1867 - 1923

Curator: Standing here, we're observing "Studieblad met geometrische vormen," or "Study Sheet with Geometric Forms," a drawing attributed to George Hendrik Breitner, created sometime between 1867 and 1923. It’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's striking how immediate it feels. A fleeting thought captured in graphite on paper, like a page torn straight from the artist’s personal sketchbook. The geometric figures seem superimposed over scrawled handwriting... it’s intriguing. Curator: Absolutely. Think about the function of sketchbooks in that period. They weren't necessarily meant for public consumption but served as spaces for exploration, memory, and planning. This work gives us insight into Breitner's private intellectual and creative processes. Notice the juxtaposition of geometric shapes with what appears to be hastily written text. Editor: The handwriting feels like fading memory, doesn't it? Words overlapping and barely legible, as if he's grasping at fleeting ideas or trying to recall specific data. What sort of geometric theory or study was Breitner immersed in? I also feel like I'm interpreting old runes or forgotten symbols. Curator: The nature of those symbols is quite interesting when considered within broader societal shifts of the period. Artists grappled with the rapid changes brought on by industrialization, so some used geometry as a kind of visual grounding, a way to seek order. Do you agree? Editor: I do. These lines and angles suggest that there's a symbolic search for balance amidst societal change. Maybe it speaks to the deeper anxieties of a changing world. I'm struck by the fact that it appears within the pages of what reads as some kind of calculation, possibly mathematical. Curator: Well, seeing Breitner’s sketchbook is so unique; one gets to see more than the image itself, and it's an incredible reflection of what happens before one makes a work for public consumption. Editor: Looking at "Study Sheet with Geometric Forms", one truly does see more. I would say, "See deeper, with intention!"